Not a Rebound
by CoffeeDrinker
Summary: A two-shot set in early season 2 revealing what happened after Luke gave Lorelai the chuppah.
1. Chapter 1

**Not a Rebound**

. . . . .

"Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking," she answered the phone at the reservation desk.

"Hey," he greeted her.

Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard as the sound of his voice sent a shiver of excitement through her body.

"Hi," she replied quietly, glancing around to see if anyone was in listening distance. Michel was at the computer at the other end of the desk, and a handful of guests were wandering the lobby.

"You haven't been around," he said. "I just wanted to make sure that... you know... you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lorelai replied. "Rory and I just took a little road trip."

"Yeah, I heard. Sookie came in the day after you left and said you guys took off," he replied. "I was pretty surprised since you hadn't mentioned you'd be going anywhere."

"It was a last minute thing."

"I figured you would've stopped in when you got back... which I heard was a few days ago."

"Yeah, I've been super busy here at the inn," she told him. "I've been getting in early to catch up on some things, so I haven't had time for breakfast visits."

"And I guess no time for dinner visits either?"

"Well, Pete had his 'buy two, get one free' pizza sale the day we got back, so we've been living on pizza for a few days now. You know how we love continuous days of the same leftovers."

He sighed softly into the phone. "Lorelai..."

She glanced toward Michel, and then turned her back to him and covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand. "We can't do this," she whispered into the phone. "It's too soon, I told you that I wanted to wait."

"I know, but it doesn't mean you need to avoid me altogether," he replied.

"Yes, I do," she told him.

"Why?"

"Because I do, okay? I just do."

" _You_ came to _me_ that night," he reminded her. "You showed up at the diner, you told me you didn't love him, that you'd broken off the engagement. You're the one that initiated - "

"I know what I initiated that night," she interrupted.

"And I asked if you were sure... if you wanted to stop," he continued. "I mean, you'd just broken up with your fiancé, for Christ's sake, I didn't know where your head was at. I thought it was crazy that we were about to do _that_ the same day you ended things with him. But you specifically said that it wasn't a rebound thing, that it was more than that, that there were feelings there." He exhaled a deep breath. "And I believed you, Lorelai. You were really convincing."

"It was the truth!" she exclaimed in a whisper. " _Is_ the truth!"

"But then you disappeared!" he exclaimed. "What am I supposed to think when you disappear like that?"

Lorelai walked away from the front desk and headed toward her office for some privacy. "It wasn't a lie... it's not a rebound thing... there _are_ feelings there."

"Well, then, I don't understand why you're mad at me and why you're avoiding me."

She walked into her office and shut the door behind her. "I'm not mad at you."

"But you _are_ avoiding me."

"How would it look for people to see me with someone else days after I canceled my wedding?" She was still whispering, even alone in her office. "I don't want people to get suspicious, so I'm just trying to lay low. It's not about you. Everything I said to you was the truth."

"You going to the diner isn't going to make anyone suspicious," he told her. "You _not_ going to the diner is what's going to make people suspicious."

Lorelai sat down at her desk. "I can't, not yet."

"I just want to see you."

"I want to see you, too, but we have to wait. It can't happen again, not yet."

"Nothing's gonna happen," he told her. "I told you I'm fine with waiting, that I'll wait as long as you want to."

"I know."

"But I didn't think waiting meant that you'd stop coming to the diner altogether. I still want to see you, to talk to you in person. We can do that without anyone being suspicious of anything - trust me, we've been doing it for years."

Lorelai exhaled a heavy sigh into the phone. "You don't get it... if I see you, it _will_ happen again, okay? It _will_. It's all I've thought about for days. Rory was sitting next to me on the couch last night telling me about her Chilton summer project, and in my head were images of you and me in that ridiculously tiny bed of yours. I can't stop thinking about it... about _you_. And if it happens a second time, it's gonna happen a third time, and a fourth time, and it'll keep happening and we'll somehow get caught before we want to get caught. I'm just trying to prevent that, okay?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then he finally just said, "Huh."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes and said, "You're smiling. I can tell you're smiling."

"Of course I'm smiling," he confirmed. "Who wouldn't be smiling after hearing that you have to stay away from them to prevent yourself from jumping into bed with them?"

Lorelai smiled into the phone and her voice softened. "Luke..."

"You're all I've been thinking about, too," he told her. "And I know you said that if you and I are gonna start something serious, that we should hold off for a little while and let the canceled wedding ashes settle, and I get that, I'm on board with that... but I hate not seeing you, okay? I hate it."

Lorelai fiddled with the stapler on her desk. "I hate it, too."

"Just come by the diner," he said. "We'll be in public, it'll be fine, nothing will happen."

Lorelai covered her face with her hand. "This is all your fault, you know. You showed up with that chuppah and spouted out your words of wisdom and..." She paused to swallow the nervous lump in her throat. "...you know, made me realize things about _him_ and about _you_ and stirred up all these feelings, and an hour later, I'm driving to Hartford to return the ring."

"And then an hour or two after that, coming over to talk to me and make fun of my tiny bed."

Lorelai smiled. "Something like that."

They were both silent for a moment before he quietly said, "And then you left town without telling me."

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "It was an impulsive thing, okay? I just needed to get away from the town and the wedding stuff and let things settle down. I wasn't trying to get away from _you_ , I promise. Please tell me you believe that."

He paused for a moment before he replied, "I believe you. I'm sure you were overwhelmed."

"I should've called and told you myself that I was going away, I know," she said. "I _am_ sorry, really."

"It's okay, I forgive you."

"Thank you."

"Come in today," he said. "It doesn't have to be for food - just stop in for coffee. I'll put it in a to go cup, you don't even have to stay. You'll see that we can be completely casual and no one will be suspicious."

Lorelai sighed softly and twirled her finger in her hair as she considered it, and finally she replied, "Let me think about it, okay?"

"Okay."

"I should get back to work."

"Yeah... me, too," he replied. "Bye, Lorelai."

"Bye, Luke."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Every time the diner door opened and the bell jingled, he looked over hoping to see her walk in. He thought maybe she'd show up for lunch. When that didn't happen, he hoped to see her for an afternoon coffee... and then dinner... then maybe an evening coffee. But the hours ticked by, and she didn't show.

Luke kept the diner open a little later than usual that night, still hanging on to some shred of hope that she'd come by, and reluctantly locked the front door a little before ten. He was disappointed as he headed up to his apartment. And then angry at her as he brushed his teeth. And then mad at himself for being angry at her as he showered.

And then, as he was getting dressed for bed, feeling calmer after convincing himself that she'd probably stop in tomorrow, the phone rang. He rushed over to it, hoping it was the one voice he wanted to hear.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Is it too late for a girl to get a cup of coffee?" she greeted him.

His lips curved into a smile. "No. Where are you?"

"Back door," she replied.

"I'll be right down."

Luke walked downstairs and headed down the back hallway past the storage room to the door at the very back of the diner. He unlocked it and pulled it open, and he felt a sense of relief when he saw her.

"Hi," she said, flashing him a smile that made his heart race with excitement.

"Hey."

"Sorry it's so late."

"It's okay." After she had stepped inside, he shut the door behind her. "I figured you weren't gonna show today."

"I wanted to come alone so I waited for Rory to go to bed," she said. "And then basically snuck out of my house like a teenager." She noticed his wet hair. "You just take a shower?"

"Yup." He stared at her for a moment, suddenly feeling strangely nervous, and gestured down the hall toward the diner. "Um... so... did you want that cup of coffee?"

Lorelai smiled slyly as she put her hands on his chest, sending a tingle down his spine. "You think I'd show up at the back door late at night if all I really wanted was an innocent cup of coffee?"

Luke smirked. "I don't know," he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "I'm not gonna assume anything at this point... you were pretty adamant earlier that you wanted to wait, that we shouldn't repeat what happened last time."

"Yes, well, the part of my brain that thinks we should pause everything for now has been overpowered by the part of my brain that can't stop thinking about you," Lorelai told him. She rested her hands on his shoulders and pulled him toward her until their lips met in a passionate kiss.

He wrapped his arms around her as they kissed, holding her tight until they had to break for air. They were panting for breath, still loosely embracing as she rested her forehead against his chest.

Lorelai squeezed the fabric of his t-shirt in her hands and whispered, "God, I missed you."

"I missed you, too," he replied, and kissed the top of her head.

Lorelai looked up at him. "You want to repeat it as badly as I do, right? If not, you might wanna back away slowly because my actions toward you are about to become wildly inappropriate."

Luke smiled. "Let's go upstairs."

Lorelai laced her fingers through his and led him down the hall toward the staircase up to his apartment. The door was open, and she glanced back at him with a smile. "Someone rushed out of here in a hurry."

They went inside and shut the door behind them, and their lips immediately reconnected. They kissed as they made their way through the apartment, and they separated when they reached the bed.

Lorelai smiled down at it amusedly. "I can't get over how small it is."

Luke leaned in close to her ear and his voice huskily said, "You know, that's not something a guy likes to hear from a woman."

Lorelai's smile widened. "I was referring to the bed," she said, and her hands went to the waistband of his sweatpants. "And not to anything that is currently concealed by these baggy pants I'm about to remove."

Luke smirked. "Okay, good."

Lorelai pushed his pants down and he stepped out of them, and then she pulled his t-shirt up over his head. She ran her hands over his chest and arms as she kissed him hungrily, her arousal already starting to grow in intensity.

Luke reached for the bottom of her shirt, and their lips parted so he could pull it up over her head. She'd forgone a bra, and his mouth immediately went to her chest. She moaned softly as he sucked on her breasts and lavished them with his tongue. He felt her nails dragging lightly against his head as she combed her fingers through his hair, and that was arousing him just as much as her moans were.

When he eventually lifted his head from her chest, she nodded toward the bed. "Lie down," she said, and then tugged at his boxers as she added, "After you lose these."

Luke pushed his boxers down to his ankles, and then he grimaced when he realized he didn't have any protection. "Shoot, I still don't have anything here." He didn't have any during their first encounter either, but she'd told him she was on the pill. "I meant to get some for the next time, but you said you wanted to wait so I thought I had more time before the 'next time' got here. Plus, I was gonna get them out of town in case someone saw, and I haven't had time to - "

Lorelai interrupted him by leaning in to kiss him. "Shhhh, it's fine, I've still got it covered," she murmured. "Who would've thought I'd be the more responsible one of the two of us?"

Luke smiled against her lips. "Not me."

She gestured toward the bed. "Lie down."

Luke lay on his back on the mattress, and Lorelai walked over to the foot of the bed. She slipped off her shoes, and then watched his face as she pushed down her pants, revealing that she had forgone underwear, too.

She watched his eyes move up and down her naked body, and then she tapped his foot and said, "Spread 'em."

He obliged, and she climbed onto the bed between his spread legs. She leaned over his upper body, resting her hands on the mattress on either side of his chest, and she kissed him long and deep.

His hands caressed her body, starting at her shoulders and moving down her back to her ass. He squeezed her cheeks and slid his hands back up toward her shoulders, and cradled her neck in his hands.

Lorelai pulled back from the kiss and raised an eyebrow. "So... you've been thinking about me the past few days?"

Luke nodded. "Mmhmm."

Lorelai leaned down and brushed her lips softly against his. "With my clothes on or without?" she whispered.

Luke smiled. "Both."

"Same here," she said.

She kissed him gently on the lips, then his neck, his chest, and his stomach as she slowly made her way back down to the bottom of the bed.

She kneeled between his legs and took his hardness in her hand, and Luke inhaled sharply at her touch. She leaned down, gently ran her tongue across his tip, and then wrapped her lips around him. She began working her magic on him, and Luke soon became lost in a daze of pleasure as he stroked her hair and groaned his approval.

After a few minutes, she crawled back up over his body and smiled down at him. "Hi," she said breathily.

"You are unbelievable," he muttered before pressing his lips against hers. His tongue tangled wildly with hers until he could barely breathe, and then he reluctantly pulled back from her.

She was panting heavily to catch her breath and her body was throbbing with arousal, and she pushed herself back up onto her knees to straddle his waist. She took his hardness in her hand, guided it to her opening, and lowered herself onto it.

Luke groaned at the sensation as he filled her. "Jesus."

"Oh, my God," Lorelai moaned. She closed her eyes and was still for a moment as she adjusted to him. She gyrated her hips and they both groaned with pleasure, and she opened her eyes to look at him. "Yup... feels just as amazing as I remember it."

Luke nodded in agreement and ran his hands up her sides. "You're so beautiful."

Lorelai leaned down to kiss him. "Thanks. I bet you say that to all the girls who show up to your place, declare their feelings, sleep with you, and then disappear for days before coming back to sleep with you again."

Luke smirked. "That's true... I do. But I always mean it."

Lorelai smiled and kissed him again before she sat back up. She started rocking against him, sliding up and down his length, and her sensual moans filled the room, the ones that had been playing over and over in his head all week.

His hands explored her body as she rode him, caressing her thighs, her breasts, her arms, her ass, anything within reach. He'd graze his fingers against her clit and she'd gasp with pleasure in the middle of a moan. He loved watching her reactions, seeing how she responded to every touch.

After a few minutes, when she leaned forward to kiss him tenderly, Luke murmured against her lips, "Let's switch places."

They couldn't roll over as easily as they would've in a larger bed or else they'd roll right off of it, but after a little coordinated maneuvering, she was lying beneath him. He rubbed the tip of his cock against her folds and her clit before he slid his length back into her wetness.

He began thrusting into her, taking it slow for her sake, not wanting to wear her out, and when he didn't gradually pick up the pace, she breathlessly urged, "Harder."

Lorelai was staring up at him, panting, sweating, looking sexy as hell, begging him to go harder, and for a moment, he couldn't believe this wasn't a dream.

He slammed into her a little harder, and she moaned a little louder, and before long, she begged again, " _Harder_ , Luke..."

He could tell she was so close she could taste it. He picked up his pace, evoking even louder enthusiastic moans from her, and rubbed her clit until she reached her peak.

He felt her body clench his cock as she climaxed, and he watched the waves of pleasure rush through her, then he continued his hard, deep thrusts until he exploded inside of her.

Resting over her on his forearms, he kissed her as she gently stroked his arms and back.

When their lips separated, they stared at each other for a moment before Lorelai softly said, "I'm sorry I left without telling you."

Luke nodded. "It's okay," he said. "You're not gonna disappear on me again this time, are you?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I promise."

"Good."

"This is not a rebound," Lorelai reassured him. She'd said it before, but she felt like she needed to remind him of that considering the timing of everything. "I had a lot of time to think on that road trip, and that's something that was very clear to me."

"What was?"

"That these aren't sudden, superficial, rebound feelings," Lorelai told him. "They've always been there, and I would just ignore them... but they _were_ there. I noticed them a lot when Rachel was here, the jealousy I felt..." She suddenly paused for a second and then narrowed her eyes. "Wait, I'm not _your_ rebound from Rachel, am I?"

Luke cocked his head to the side in disbelief. "Seriously? You don't actually believe that."

"Well, who knows? It's been months, but I don't know what your rebounding routine is. Maybe you haven't had one yet."

"You're not a rebound," he firmly stated. "I don't do rebounds. A relationship ends, you move on, you eventually start another one, that's it. I don't do stupid flings that don't mean anything and just waste time."

Lorelai gently traced her finger along his jawline. "Okay. So... I think we can conclude that neither of us are the other one's rebound, fling, or unimportant notch on a bedpost."

"Right." Luke brushed her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Look, if you wanna wait to tell anyone, or if you wanna wait to do _this_ again, I'm fine with that. But I'm not okay with you avoiding me altogether. I still want to see you, even I can't do anything else with you."

Lorelai smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But you know if we see each other, people are gonna be able to tell. They're gonna see that 'I wanna tear his clothes off' look in _my_ eyes and that 'I can't wait to get her back in my tiny bed' look in _your_ eyes. How do we hide the looks?"

"I guess we're gonna have to wear sunglasses."

"But if we're both wearing sunglasses indoors, they'll think we're hungover because we were out doing some heavy drinking together, which would also be suspicious," she pointed out.

Luke sighed. "Okay, how about you wear the sunglasses, and I'll just try like hell not to look at you seductively, okay?"

"Okay." Lorelai pulled him down into a kiss, and then smoothed her hand over his hair as she told him, "I'll start coming back to the diner."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." She placed her hands on his face and gently stroked his scruff with her thumbs. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

Lorelai moved her lips close to his ear and whispered, "Can you get a bigger bed?"

Luke smiled and nodded his head. "You got it."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Not a Rebound - Chapter 2**

. . . . .

Her body was pressed up against the cold tile wall behind her while his hands pinned her wrists against it. They were kissing passionately, unleashing on each other every ounce of desire that had been building up since their last encounter only 24 hours ago.

His tongue was exploring her mouth fervently when she pulled back from him and breathlessly muttered, "This shouldn't happen again," before immediately pressing her lips back against his.

He returned the kiss for a moment before pulling back to ask, "You want to stop?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No."

"Thank God," he muttered before leaning back in to kiss her. He released his hold on her wrists and began caressing her body as she ran her hands over the firm muscles of his arms.

She'd kept her word about returning to the diner, and showed up for breakfast that morning. They chatted casually and things were normal, except for those few subtle looks they shared that conveyed their mutual need for more than talking.

And then later, for the second night in a row, she called him from the back of the diner. He went down to let her in and led her upstairs to the apartment, and now here they were, kissing in his shower under the cascade of hot water.

Lorelai reached for the bar of soap from the shelf on the shower wall. She rubbed it between her palms to work up a lather, returned the soap to the shelf, and then pressed her hands to his chest.

He exhaled a soft sigh as her hands moved delicately over his chest and abs. He savored every little touch from her, they sent tiny jolts of electricity through his body. She had an effect on him like no one else ever had.

Her hands moved down to his cock, and an even stronger jolt of electricity rushed through him. She wrapped one hand around the bottom of his shaft and slid it upward, and then followed it with the other hand, falling into a quick stroking rhythm that had him groaning with pleasure.

"Jesus," he groaned as she picked up her pace a little.

Lorelai had been watching her hands, and she lifted her head to flash him a seductive smile. "Gotta get you nice and clean," she said, and then teasingly added, "I don't know where that thing's been."

Luke leaned in to kiss her deeply, muttering against her lips, "Oh, you know exactly where it's been."

Lorelai smiled through the kiss. "And I know exactly where it's going next."

As they resumed kissing, he reached over and blindly rubbed his hand against the soap on the shelf. When he pulled back from the kiss, he rubbed his palms together to disperse the soap suds, and then began caressing her breasts with his soapy hands. She continued stroking him, moaning as her own arousal grew, finally letting go of him when his hands moved downward.

She leaned her head back against the shower wall as he slipped his hand between her legs, and her body began to tremble as he touched her center. He gently dragged his fingers against her folds, and then traced her slit with his finger before he slipped it inside her, evoking a soft gasp from her.

He leaned in to kiss her, stifling her moans as he began sliding his finger in and out of her wetness. It wasn't until his thumb simultaneously began rubbing her clit that she broke the kiss with a breathless, "Oh, God, Luke."

He loved hearing her moan his name, it drove him crazy. He pulled his hand away from her as he leaned in close to her ear. "I've been thinking about you all day," he rasped before he began sucking on the side of her neck.

Lorelai hummed her approval at the actions of his mouth. "Me, too."

"I wasn't expecting you to show up again tonight," he murmured. "I was _hoping_ , but wasn't sure if you would."

"Clearly, I can't stay away from you. It's like your sexiness has somehow eliminated every ounce of sexual willpower I used to have."

Luke pulled back from her neck with a smirk. "Good."

He spun her body around so she was facing the wall. He pushed her wet hair aside and started kissing her neck while he guided himself to her opening. She felt the head of his cock against her, and her sex was pulsating just as fast as her racing heart. She arched her back a little, and with a quick shift of his hips, he slid his length inside of her and began thrusting into her.

Her moans were loud as his hardness moved swiftly in and out of her. He gripped her waist with one hand as his other smoothed up and down her back, occasionally traveling to the front of her to squeeze her breasts. He'd lean in close to her ear to tell her how amazing she felt or some similar compliment, and she'd look back at him over her shoulder to kiss him deeply.

After a few minutes, he slid his hand down the front of her body and his fingers found their way to her clit. As he started moving his fingers in a circular motion against it, she began moaning louder, and rocked against his hand until she exploded with her powerful climax.

Throughout their friendship, he always liked doing things to make her happy. Whether it was serving her some desperately-needed coffee or fixing something around her house, making her happy in those simple ways made him feel good. But making her happy in an _intimate_ way took things to a whole new level. With every groan and moan and whimper that left her lips, he felt this amazing mixture of satisfaction and elation and pride pulsing through his entire body. When she felt good, he felt incredible.

She turned around to face him and lifted her foot to rest it on the edge of the tub before guiding him back into her. He resumed his hard thrusts until he released inside of her, and they spent a few minutes kissing in the shower before they finally turned off the water.

They stepped out of the shower and as they were drying off, Luke said, "Hold on a second." He walked out of the bathroom and returned with a blue flannel shirt. "I thought maybe, you know... something comfy to hang out in for a little while... if you want."

Lorelai smiled as she took the shirt from him. "Thanks."

He left her in the bathroom to get dressed, closing the door to give her some privacy. He threw on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, and then walked over to the fridge to see what he had to offer her. He grabbed a couple of beers and walked over to sit down on the couch.

When she walked out of the bathroom wearing his half-buttoned blue flannel shirt, he felt a tingle rush down his spine. Not only because she looked sexy in it, but it felt good seeing her so comfortable in an article of his clothing.

She sat down next to him on the couch, and he opened the beers, offering her one. They sat close together, his hand on her knee, her hand on his thigh, and after each of them took a sip of beer, they smiled at each other.

"So..." Lorelai casually said.

"So..."

"We're kinda doing this whole thing out of order, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"We skipped over the new relationship 'get to know each other' phase before we jumped into the 'wow, we've seen each other naked' phase."

"We've been in the 'get to know each other' phase for years," he pointed out.

"In the friend sense, not in the dating sense," Lorelai said.

"What's the difference?"

Lorelai squeezed his thigh. "Cute flirting and touching while we chat."

Luke smirked. "Okay, let's do that."

Lorelai smiled and ran her hand over his scruffy cheek, and then thought to herself for a moment. "There's a town meeting tomorrow night. Are you gonna go?"

"I don't know, maybe... if I remember."

"I missed the last one, and if I miss this one, too, I'll probably be banned from town," Lorelai said. "You should try to go. It's a chance for us to hang out together in public without making anyone suspicious... a way to see each other casually without hiding anything."

Luke shrugged. "I'll try."

She set her beer on the coffee table and then straddled his lap, facing him. She leaned in close and brushed her lips against his, pulling back with a teasing smile when he tried to kiss her. "I need a more definitive answer," she told him. "Will you go?"

"Yes, I'll go," he quickly agreed. "Now, come closer." She leaned in and kissed him, and when they parted, he asked, "Is this us getting to know each other?"

"Sure, we'll call it that," she replied before leaning in to kiss him again.

He was still holding his beer in one hand, and he slid the other hand up the front of the flannel shirt to caress her breasts. She hummed contently against his lips and started to unbutton the shirt for him, but was interrupted by the sound of a ringing phone.

They separated and stared at each other for a moment, and then Lorelai's eyes widened. "That's mine!"

She scrambled off his lap and looked around for her purse, spotting it on the kitchen table. She rushed over and pulled out her phone, grimacing when she saw that it was Rory calling.

"Honey?" Lorelai answered the phone. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, where are you?" Rory tiredly replied. "I went to the bathroom and saw your room was empty and I couldn't find you and started freaking out a little."

"Aw, kid, I'm sorry," Lorelai replied, dejectedly covering her face with her hand. "I couldn't sleep... I just had to take a walk and get some air. I'm heading home now. Go back to bed."

"Okay. Night, Mom."

Lorelai hung up the phone and looked over at Luke. "I have to go." She frantically started gathering her clothes that had been strewn across the floor as they had made their way to the bathroom earlier.

He walked over to help her. "Are you okay?"

"I hate that I just lied to her," Lorelai replied as she started to get dressed.

"Well, you did take a walk," he pointed out. "It wasn't really a lie."

"I know, but the only reason she bought the idea that Mommy suddenly had the need for a late-night walk is because she's half-asleep," Lorelai replied. "She might have follow up questions tomorrow that I won't know how to answer. And what if she's still up when I get home and she notices my wet hair? What am I supposed to say? That I snuck out of the house to have shower sex with Luke because we're in a secret relationship that I don't want anyone to know about yet?"

"Why don't you just tell her the truth?" Luke suggested. "We don't have to tell _everyone_ if you don't want to, but why not tell Rory? That way you wouldn't have to lie to her." He paused for a moment before adding, "Unless you think she won't like the idea and _that's_ why you're not telling her."

Lorelai didn't say anything as she pulled on her jeans and buttoned them.

Luke's eyes widened with surprise. "Really? You think she won't like the idea of you and me dating?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "I don't know... she might."

"But she might not?"

"But not because it's you," Lorelai assured him. "She likes you... a lot. But I think her first reaction will be that it's really soon to be in a new relationship and then she'll probably think I was cheating on Max with you."

"But you weren't."

" _I_ know that and _you_ know that, but _she's_ not gonna know that."

"Well, you'll tell her that and then she'll know it, too," Luke said matter-of-factly. "She trusts you, Lorelai, it's not like she's gonna think you're lying about it."

Lorelai sat down on the bed to put on her shoes, and glanced over at him. "I just need to think about how to approach it, okay? So, until I figure that out... let's hold off."

Luke sat down next to her. "Yeah, sure," he replied calmly. "Whatever you want."

She put on her shoes and then turned to face him. She exhaled a soft sigh as she ran her hand over his cheek. "Sorry I have to leave so soon."

Luke glanced at the clock. "It's okay. I should've been in bed hours ago, I have an early delivery tomorrow."

Lorelai frowned. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have come over and kept you up past your bedtime."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Please. If it's you or sleep, you win. You can come over any time you want to."

Lorelai smiled at him and they walked over to the apartment door. "Thanks for the shower," she said.

"Anytime." He paused for a moment, feeling slightly unsettled, and hesitantly asked, "We're okay, right? You and me?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes with confusion. "Yeah, we're great," she replied, and when she realized why he was asking, she added, "Don't let my being thrown off by Rory's call make you think I'm second guessing this. We're good. I'm in this a hundred percent."

"Me, too," he said.

"Good." Lorelai leaned in and kissed him softly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai came into the diner the following afternoon and ate lunch at the counter. It was busy, so Luke couldn't talk to her much, but when she was leaving, she casually reminded him of the town meeting that night.

And although he rolled his eyes and muttered something about maybe stopping by, he'd been thinking about that town meeting all day. He had figured that with Rory noticing her gone the night before, she probably wouldn't be sneaking out of the house anytime soon, so he should take advantage of any opportunity to see her.

He arrived at the meeting and scanned the chairs from the back, noticing her and Rory sitting with Sookie in one of the middle rows. He casually walked down the center aisle and slipped into the row behind them.

When he cleared his throat from behind her to announce his presence, her heart started to race a little. She casually turned around to look at him. "Hey, Luke." Rory and Sookie both turned around to greet him, too.

"Hey," he greeted them.

"We were just talking about how hungry we are," Lorelai said. "You bring any snacks to get us through the meeting?"

"I did, but I ate them on the way over," he replied.

Lorelai smiled. "Well, you can make it up to us by opening up after the meeting so we can come get some pie," she suggested, and then simultaneously nudged both girls next to her. "What do you said, girls' night out at the diner?"

"I'm in," Sookie said.

"Sounds good to me," Rory agreed.

Lorelai looked hopefully at Luke. "What do you say? I'm prepared to pout if that'll help my case."

Luke smirked slightly and glanced down at the floor, trying to hide just how enamored he was by her. He lifted his head and replied, "No pouting needed. You can stop by for pie."

Lorelai grinned at him before turning back around to face the front. As the girls resumed chatting, Luke folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair, his eyes focused on the back of her head.

The meeting started, and after some announcements about various town issues, there was a lengthy discussion about the upcoming fall festival. When that subject was concluded, Miss Patty and Taylor had a quick quiet sidebar away from the podium. Luke noticed Miss Patty adamantly shaking her head and harshly whispering at Taylor until he seemed to give up on whatever he was trying to talk her into.

Taylor returned to the podium. "One last important topic... if you recall, at the last meeting we talked about initiating a neighborhood watch program for the town square area after we had that unfortunate defacing incident last month on the sidewalk by the gazebo."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me? Someone dropped a milkshake, Taylor. It's not exactly vandalism."

"You cannot prove that it wasn't thrown there, Luke," Taylor retorted. "This week, we began a trial run of the watch program and had volunteers quietly canvassing the streets during the late night hours looking for any unusual activity. They have been taking detailed notes of what they see and they provide the data to me and Miss Patty on a daily basis."

"As I've discussed with Taylor, to avoid any invasions of privacy, all activity will remain confidential unless it poses a threat to the community in some way," Miss Patty loudly added from beside him.

"We are currently deciding if one observation may prove to be disruptive to the community," Taylor said, and then he subtly glanced in Lorelai's direction. "But this is just a general warning that anyone who may have been meandering around the streets late at night may have had their actions logged and they may currently be undergoing further review."

Lorelai's eyes widened. Luke swallowed hard. They didn't dare glance at each other. They both sat perfectly still.

"Meeting adjourned," Taylor announced as he banged his gavel on the podium.

"That's sort of creepy," Rory said. "He's just gonna make us all get implanted with tracking devices one day." She stood up from her chair. "Time for pie, right?"

Sookie stood up. "Yes, please."

They both glanced at Lorelai, who was still sitting in her chair, staring toward the front of the studio in a daze. "You okay, Mom?" Rory asked.

Lorelai blinked a few times before standing up, and she quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm good, I'm, uh... good," she stammered, and then she gestured toward the front of the room. "I just remembered, I have to talk to Patty about something. Why don't you guys head to the diner and I'll meet you there."

"Okay," Rory replied.

Lorelai glanced back at Luke, who was still sitting down, and nodded toward the back door as subtle encouragement for him to take the girls to the diner. "It's pie time," she said. "I'll be right there after I have a quick chat with Miss Patty."

Luke nodded and stood up. "Okay."

The girls followed Luke out the back door of the studio, and Lorelai rushed toward the front. Miss Patty was talking to a group of people, and she excused herself from them so she could talk to Lorelai.

Lorelai nervously nibbled on her fingernail. "Okay, please tell me what you know and who else knows it."

Miss Patty pulled Lorelai to the corner of the studio for more privacy. "Well, a brunette woman was observed entering and then later exiting the back of Luke's Diner twice this week. So far this information is known only by Taylor, myself, and the observer, Big Pete."

Lorelai groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, my God."

"You should know that this has led to some discussion about whether there might be a relationship going on between said brunette and the owner of Luke's Diner, one Mr. Luke Danes."

Lorelai groaned again from beneath her hands shielding her face.

"And you should also know that Taylor has some concerns that this alleged relationship poses to be disruptive to the town should it eventually... fizzle."

Lorelai gasped and dropped her hands. "What?"

"He has it in his head that a relationship between two well-known members of the community could lead the town to take sides if the relationship fails," Miss Patty explained. "And he wants to publicly discuss the potential outcomes."

Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "Jesus."

"I convinced him not to bring it up at this meeting," Miss Patty said. "I told him to give it more time, that obviously these individuals were trying to keep it private considering the nighttime secrecy. That may hold him off for a meeting or two, but you know how stubborn he can be."

"Yeah, I know," Lorelai said, and then she appreciatively added, "Thanks for trying to keep it out of the spotlight. The individuals owe you one."

"They owe me nothing," Miss Patty replied, waving it off, and then her face grew a little more serious. "You know, honey, it's none of my business..."

Assuming she was about to be read the riot act for being in another relationship already, Lorelai firmly said, "It's not a rebound. I know it's soon, I know there was a wedding that was supposed to happen and didn't happen, and I know it seems like there may have been some overlap between relationships, but there wasn't. I wouldn't do that. Things were done in the order they needed to be done."

Miss Patty's eyes were wide with surprise. "Okay... that's good, dear. But actually, I was just gonna say, it's none of my business, but... how's the sex?"

Lorelai's lips curved into a smile and she leaned in to hug Miss Patty. "I gotta go, but... thank you."

Miss Patty smiled and rubbed her arm. "You're welcome."

Lorelai started to walk away, but then turned back to Miss Patty. "Oh, and when this news eventually does go public, can you maybe spread the word about the non-rebound, non-overlap stuff? Because I know people are gonna get the wrong idea and I want to nip that in the bud with your superb gossip skills."

Miss Patty smiled. "You got it." She nudged her shoulder into Lorelai's as she added, "I'm happy for you, honey. This is a good thing, you and Luke. It's really good."

Lorelai grinned and nodded in agreement. She walked out of the dance studio and across the street to the diner. Rory and Sookie were at a table already working on their slices of pie, and Luke was wiping down the counter.

"Everything okay?" Rory asked her.

Lorelai nodded. "Yup, fine. Hold on a second." She walked over to the counter. "Can we talk for a minute... privately?"

Luke nodded, and as they walked toward the back hallway, Rory and Sookie exchanged a confused look.

Lorelai and Luke went into the storage room and shut the door. "What did you find out?" Luke asked her.

Lorelai relayed her conversation with Miss Patty, and then Luke shook his head angrily. "Stupid Taylor and his idiotic ideas. He needs to track all nighttime movements because some kid dropped a milkshake? Is he insane?"

"Yes, he is, but..." Lorelai paused a moment and shrugged. "I think it's okay."

"Think what's okay? His insanity?"

"No, I think it's okay if people know about us."

Luke's eyes widened with surprise. "Really? That's not how you were feeling last night."

"I know. But... when I was talking to Patty about us, it felt good to get it out, you know? And she seemed happy about it, like supportive. And it made me start thinking, who cares if people think it's too soon or start wondering things? It doesn't matter what they think. It matters what _we_ think, you and me." She paused and added, "And Rory. I care what Rory thinks. But no one else's opinion matters when it comes to this, and I shouldn't worry so much about it."

Luke nodded in agreement. "I agree."

"So, I think I'm okay with not sneaking around anymore," Lorelai said, and then smiled as she added, "As hot as it might have been."

Luke smirked. "It did add an extra level of hotness."

Lorelai stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't worry, it'll still be hot," she whispered before she pressed her lips against his.

His arms wrapped around her body as he kissed her, and he eventually pulled back with a content groan. "Trust me, I'm not worried."

Lorelai smiled at him, and then nodded toward the door. "We should get back out there, and maybe... tell them?"

Luke nodded and kissed her again before he opened the door. They walked back to the diner, and he asked, "Blueberry pie?"

"Yes, please." Lorelai sat down at the table, and Rory and Sookie stared at her expectantly. "What?" Lorelai said with a shrug.

"What's with the secret private rendezvous?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Rory asked.

"Needed to discuss all the pie options before deciding on one," Lorelai replied, and when she saw Luke walking toward her, she said, "Oh, look, here it is."

Luke set the plate in front of her. "Here you go."

"Thanks," she said to him, and then she gestured to the remaining empty chair at their table. "Can you sit for a sec? I wanna say something... to all of you."

Luke obligingly sat down, playing naïve as to what was going on, and all three of them stared at her, with Rory and Sookie looking especially confused.

Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "So... I know this might seem like a very random thing to say right now, but I just want to make it clear that I broke up with Max because I realized I didn't love him, and I couldn't marry someone that I didn't love."

"We know," Rory said, giving her a comforting pat on the arm.

"And we know it was probably really hard for you to have to tell him that," Sookie said. "But it was the right thing to do."

Lorelai nodded. "It was." She took another deep breath. "And around that exact same time when I realized I wasn't in love with him, I also realized that... I had feelings for someone else."

Rory's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah... what?" Sookie asked.

"And I discussed those feelings with said individual," Lorelai continued. "And he confirmed that those feelings are reciprocated on his end, so... we decided that we're going to start dating."

"Wow," Rory said, and she shook her head a little in disbelief. "Who's - " And then she glanced over at Luke, who was sitting at the table with his arms folded across his chest, nervously staring down at the table. "Oh."

Sookie followed Rory's gaze. "Luke? It's Luke?" Sookie asked, her voice sounding a little giddy.

Luke lifted his head to look at them. "It's Luke."

"It's Luke," Lorelai confirmed.

"Wow," Rory said, uneasily tucking her hair behind her ears. "That's... uh... sudden. Really sudden."

"I know, but it's not a rebound," Lorelai told her. "It's not me just looking for a way to pass the time until my next real relationship. This _is_ the next real relationship."

Sookie gasped and covered her heart with her hand. "Aww," she gushed. "That is so romantic! I'm so happy for you guys. I always knew there was something there. I've said it to you before and you always brushed it off, but deep down, I knew there was some sort of connection."

Lorelai grinned. "Yeah, you were right. Don't let it go to your head." Her face softened and she looked at Rory. "Honey, say something."

"I don't know what to say," Rory said. "I mean, I'm happy for you guys, obviously, it's exciting..."

"But?" Lorelai prompted her. "What else is going on in that head of yours? You can say it. Get it all out."

Rory paused for a moment before softly replying, "I guess I feel a little nervous."

"About what?" Lorelai asked.

Rory glanced from Luke to Lorelai before hesitantly admitting, "About what happens if it doesn't work out."

"Well, you and Taylor have that in common," Lorelai said, and then she reached over and rubbed Rory's arm as she said, "Don't worry about that. It's gonna work out. We're not just jumping in blind here - we know each other. We've been friends for years. We have a solid base that we're starting with, you know? That's a really good way to start off a relationship."

Luke nodded in agreement. "We're both in this all the way, Rory. The only thing you have to worry about right now is what kind of pie you want for your second piece," he said, gesturing toward her empty plate.

Rory smiled. "Okay."

Lorelai could tell she looked relieved, like she'd just needed a little reassurance from them. "You okay?" Lorelai asked.

Rory smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay... I'm good, this is good," she said, and then she looked over at Luke. "And I think... cherry."

Luke smiled and stood up. "I'll be right back." He picked up her plate and walked behind the counter.

Lorelai followed him to the counter and sat down on a stool. "We have to figure out one very important thing."

"What's that?" he asked as he cut a slice of cherry pie.

"When we're gonna go on a real actual date."

Luke smiled, feeling excited about the prospect of taking her out. "Whenever you want."

"Saturday?" Lorelai suggested.

Luke nodded. "Saturday it is."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good." She glanced back at Rory and Sookie, and then looked back at him and lowered her voice. "You have to go to bed early tonight?"

Luke gave her a sly smile and leaned in close to her. "Why? You want to rack up another entry on the official Stars Hollow log of delinquent activities?"

Lorelai grinned. "Kind of. Might as well keep the pattern going."

He smirked. "Then I'll be awake."

Lorelai leaned across the counter to kiss him. "Then I'll be visiting."

. . . . .

. . . . .

 **The End.**

 **Author's Note:** Had the urge to turn that one-shot into a two-shot. Thanks for reading!


End file.
